Being happy does not always mean being without hardship. Sometimes it means just the opposite. That principle is brought to life in this story of a young husband who is only able to make it home safely after his load grows much heavier.

Elder David A. Bednar told the story in his general conference address “Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease.” A man became stranded in the mountains when his truck got stuck in the snow. It was only after he filled the truck bed with wood that he was able to escape.

“It was the load of wood that provided the traction necessary for him to get out of the snow, to get back on the road, and to move forward,” Elder Bednar explains.

When we face large or small challenges in life, we can take comfort in the truth that such experiences will build our strength and bring us closer to God.

“Sometimes we mistakenly may believe that happiness is the absence of a load. But bearing a load is a necessary and essential part of the plan of happiness,” Elder Bednar says.